Tag Archives: Chosen Marius

Spiders the size of sheep, almost twenty of them, came scurrying toward her, their mandibles glittering obscenely. Fiona was unsure of the breed of arachnid that she faced: the arena masters always touched up their charges to make them presentable for the audience. They were likely venomous, and this particular breed seemed to have barbed forelegs that looked like they could deal serious damage.

Fiona took in all of this in a heartbeat, analyzing the situation as Chosen Marius had taught her to do. She channelled power, drawing on the crowd’s revulsion and elation, weaving spells. When the spiders were half way toward her, looking like some dread wave of chitin and mandibles, she unleashed five screaming skulls spells.

The skulls shrieked toward their targets, burning and draining the life force of the spiders they hit, then using that life force to power explosions that sprayed flame across the advancing waves. Limbs and Chitin flew everywhere. The crowd roared and Fiona ran forward, weapons raised for the kill.

Drawing close to the remaining spiders, Fiona slammed her axe down in an overhand swipe, cutting right through one of the creatures and into the sand below. Not wasting any time she hopped forward, skidding around the axe handle, threshing through the legs of several unfortunate arachnids with her sickle, reaping limbs.

Sadira and Gavin arrived, the smell of the sea still clinging to them, just in time to see Fiona begin. They were ushered into the private box without ceremony. Chosen Marius turned to them, eyebrow raised, but Sadira stopped before she could speak, staring down at Fiona, lost in memory.

Gavin felt a pang of sorrow from Sadira as flame-haired Fiona entered the fighting grounds, moving with the grace of a predator and the swagger of a born performer. The Chosen knew what his beloved was thinking, and would have known even without their mystic bond.

Sadira gripped the hilt of the monstrous war-cleaver at her side, knuckles going white around the hilt: adamantine wrapped in long strands of hair so much like Fiona`s. That hair had once belonged to her rival and friend, Karmal.

I wonder if it is barbaric or touching that Sadira wraps the hilt of her sword in the hair of the woman who once wielded it.

This passage, from the beginning of the book, serves as a bridge between Bloodlust: Red Glory, and Bloodlust: The Shield Maiden. The death of a Chosen serves as a catalyst for events within the Empire…